A Chemical Agent For The Purification Of Waste Waters And A Process For Its Production
The widespread use of oils, fats and waxes in industrial operations, as in motor vehicle technology, in the material-removing treatment of metals in chemical factories, refineries, etc. would lead to considerable environmental damage if the oil-emulsified waste waters were not pretreated to remove a precentage of oil contaminants contained therein.
Numerous procedures have been devised for eliminating harmful substances from waste waters. One such procedure chemically reacts the oily water in monophase or polyphase systems, for example, by combustion or biological degrading (decomposition). This process, however, requires complex reaction installations resulting in considerable expenditures. Furthermore, such methods include gaseous combustion by-products which, themselves, must be eliminated in order to avoid environmental damage.
Another known practice evaporates the water from an oily water emulsion, leaving the substances contained therein in concentrated form, whereby the concentrate may subsequently be deposited or burned in suitable places. The evaporation of the waste waters, however, requires a large amount of energy and is, therefore, economically practical only if a source of free energy is available.
A further method of waste water treatment separates out emulsified oils, fats or other floating substances in the waste water by chemically, thermally, electrically or mechanically decomposing the emulsion and absorbing the precipitated substances.
Yet another process separates out extremely fine dirt particles from the waste water by chemical flocculation and binds the separated dirt particles to a calcium hydrate compound. To accomplish this, iron-II salts, aluminum sulfate in conjunction with calcium hydrate, lime or sodium aluminate in conjunction with activated silicic acid are commonly employed.
The most usual method of treatment splits the emulsion by adding an electrolyte. The electrolyte serves to precipitate the oil, fat or other floating particles, for sedimentation and/or absorption.
These known processes, however, have inherent weaknesses and are not adaptable to all situations. Frequently, the waste water has to be recirculated several times in order to obtain an extensive separation of the oil, fat or other dirt particles. Also, problems often arise in the adsorptive purification of the waste water because of the limited chareability of the adsorption agent or because of the deficient bonding of the oily substance to the absorbing agent, whereby the oily contaminant is again liberated by environmental influences and its harmful effects develop anew.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a chemical water treating agent with which the contaminated particles of a waste water solution may be so securely bound that, even in the act of depositing the absorptive chemical agent bonded to the contaminated substances, no liberation of the contaminated particles or other harmful effects proceed to the environment.
Another object of this invention is to provide a process for producing a chemical agent for treating and purifying oily waste water.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.